


Three Years

by Underling



Series: Blue Eyes [2]
Category: Split (2016)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Lingerie, Multi, Night Terrors, Nightmares, Overstimulation, Past Abuse, Past Child Abuse, Past Sexual Abuse, Past Sexual Assault, Scars, Sex, Shower Sex, Smut, Three years, Triggers, life after blue eyes, prompts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-01
Updated: 2019-04-29
Packaged: 2019-12-30 16:35:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18319121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Underling/pseuds/Underling
Summary: Life after Blue Eyes.The three years between the last chapter and the epilogue.





	1. Home

**Author's Note:**

> I know you all were slightly (maybe a little more) upset with me for how I ended Blue Eyes. This is my present for you all. 
> 
> This set of stories will mostly be one chapter each, with perhaps a few spanning a couple, those will be labeled. 
> 
> If there's anything you'd like to see me write about in here, let me know.
> 
> ...
> 
> Chapter One: Finding their home

It was a rare sunny day. Casey was laid out across the motel bed, staring up at the ceiling. There was exactly two-hundred and twenty-five tiles stretched across the ceiling. 

She was alone. About two hours ago, Barry had decided he needed to go out and get fabric, saying he’d been “ _struck by inspiration_ ” for a dress. He was gone as soon as he was able to get his wig on the way he wanted. With a wave of his hand, a hop in his step, he was gone out the door. 

At first, Casey was able to entertain herself. She’d started watching reruns of old sitcoms in the beginning, but after two episodes, she’d gotten bored. She’d listened to music for a little while but it only helped for so long. She thought about reading, but she didn’t have any books with her, so that idea went out the window almost as quickly as it had flown in. 

So Casey had begun counting the ceiling tiles. Over and over again. Making sure that she had the right number. She’d have to tell Barry about it when he got back to the room. 

They’d been in the motel for nearly a month now. Casey was beginning to get stir crazy being cooped up all the time. But she was also too afraid to go out into the world too much. Afraid that, even across the country, someone would recognize them. Barry and Dennis both tried to console her, tried to tell her that they wouldn’t be recognized as long as they didn’t draw attention to themselves. No one was looking for them here.

But Casey still chose to remain cooped up for the most part. Dennis stayed in with her most of the time, they would sit and watch movies. Or Dennis would read the newspaper to her. It wasn’t the most exciting thing to do with their time, but they enjoyed it none the less. 

In the corner of the ceiling, one of the tiles was caving in. _Water damage_ , she thought to herself. She occasionally caught Dennis staring at the corner but, knowing he couldn’t do anything to fix it, he’d try and focus on her instead. 

Hedwig was having the hardest time, though. He wanted to go out and enjoy the world. He didn’t like being cooped up all day. So most of the time, he stayed in his chair. It was easier for him to be there instead of being in the light and stuck in a motel room. When he did come to the light, Casey tried to entertain him by playing games like _I Spy_ , but there were only so many things to spy in the small room. Other times they would draw pictures, but eventually, he would grow tired of that as well.

Jade was fine with being stuck here. She got to watch as much television as she wanted to. And, though it often annoyed Casey, she would grill her on her relationship with Dennis. Of course, Casey didn’t give her too much information, and often, Dennis would come to the light before she could make Casey too uncomfortable. 

Barry was really the only one who left the room much. On the rare occasions when Orwell came to the light, he would leave to go to the library for the day. The others stayed in the motel room. Jade, because she didn’t know how to act inconspicuous. Hedwig could only go out if Casey went with him, but she was always too anxious. So anxious that Hedwig would pick up on it and get sad for her. He’d have Dennis or Barry, more often the former, come out to stay with her. It made her feel bad, she liked having Hedwig around, but even he wasn’t enough to keep her panic away. 

Dennis stayed with her wherever she was. If she wanted to go out into the world, he’d go with her. But if she wanted to stay in, he’d be there too. When she had bad days, he stayed by her side to make them better. 

Casey heard a key in the door, but she also heard a _knock-knock-knock knock_ , their standard knock to let her know that it was one of the good guys on the other end of the door. She sat up, smoothing her hair back slightly, a nervous habit. 

She expected Barry to walk through the door, it made the most sense. He was the one who had left earlier. But instead, she saw a pair of black glasses and she couldn’t help the smile that appeared on her face. It was almost on command when she saw Dennis.

He was carrying a bag in one hand, keys in the other. There was a bundle of fabric sticking out of the plastic bag. She looked at the keys, jingling as he walked. Dennis had a habit of keeping every key he ever used. The ring was full.

“Hello, lovely,” he said, sitting down the bag and walking over the bed. He sat down on the edge and Casey instinctively moved to curl up next to him. His arm wrapped around her, kissing the top of her head. “Have you been in bed the whole time?”

Casey shrugged. “I watched some television,” she told him. “And listened to some music,” she looked up at him, ignoring the slightly disappointed look on his face. He just wanted her to feel more comfortable here. To be able to go out on her own if she wanted to. “Did you know there are two-hundred and twenty-five tiles on the ceiling?”

Dennis raised an eyebrow at her, looking up above them. He grunted slightly. “Seems like there’s a lot less,” he said, nodding his head. “How many times did you count them?”

Again, Casey shrugged. “Only a few times,” she said simply.

Dennis seemed to understand that she wasn’t going to say anything else and changed the topic by holding up his key ring.

At first, Casey didn’t understand what he was doing. She’d seen the keys almost every day. She knew what they looked like. She could tell anyone what each of the keys went to. But then she saw it. A new, shining key. Golden in color. 

She reached out and took it in her fingers, pulling her eyebrows together and she turned it in the light. “What’s this go to?” 

Dennis’s mouth stretched into one of his rare smiles. “Our house.”

Casey looked up at him, surprise and confusion written across her face. “What?” she asked. “What house?”

“I’ve been keeping a bit of a secret,” Dennis admitted, ignoring the way Casey frowned at him. “I’ve been looking into houses and I found one. It’s perfect, Casey. _Perfect_. You’ll love it. It’s in the woods, off the road so no one will come out there. You’ll be able to go outside all the time. And Hedwig can go explore. There’s so much for you to photograph and draw.”

Casey was following along with what he was saying, still slightly confused. “When do we get to move in?” she questioned.

“Tomorrow,” Dennis whispered. “I told the realtor that we wanted to go on our own. So they won’t be there. I closed the deal already. It’s furnished, for the most part, I had people take some more furniture - couches, chairs, a table, and some beds. The only things it doesn’t have is decorations. We even have a television. We get to go whenever we want to.”

Casey smiled, picturing the house. It was exciting. A house all for themselves. Their house.

She looked up at him, meeting his lips in a soft kiss.

…

The next day, at a little past noon, the taxi was pulling up at the end of a long driveway. 

“You don’t have to take us the whole way up,” Dennis said, waiting until the cab was stopped to hand the driver some cash. “Thank you.”

Casey could hardly see the house from where they were. She could tell it was a two-story house, that it was white, but that was it. 

Dennis took her hand and they began walking towards it. The closer they got, the more Casey could pick out. The door was dark brown wood. There was a large window on one side of it, she could see in, could see a couch and a recliner. On the other side of the door was another window, looking into what she thought must be the kitchen. There was a table in her view. 

It had a wrap around porch, painted a faded barn red color. The paint was peeling off it from the weather. 

There were trees surrounding the entirety of the house. Dense trees, green leaves on top and green moss coating them. They made a canopy over them.

“I love it,” she murmured, looking up at Dennis. It was obvious that there was worry in his eyes. Worry that she wouldn’t like it. 

But it was perfect. They would make it their house. They could fix up the exterior. “Really?” Dennis asked softly.

Casey nodded quickly. “Yes,” she murmured. “It’s perfect.”

Dennis’s lips twitch up slightly at the corners. He led her up the front stairs, stopping in front of the door. He pulled out the new key, gently unlocking the door. 

Casey watched him set down his bags, looking over to her. She cocked her head in confusion as he pushed the door open. She took a step forward but was lifted off her feet. She dropped her bag from her hand. A small squeak managed its way out of her lips, followed by a chuckle from Dennis.

He was carrying her bridal style, turning his body slightly to walk through the door without hitting her head. 

“We’re home,” he whispered, looking down at her, eyes glistening. 

“Home,” she repeated, smiling and leaning up to kiss him.

_Home._


	2. Knife

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Casey accidentally cuts herself while making dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy this chapter, it was a surprise one.  
> It kind of just popped into my head while I was writing my ideas up on Tumblr and saw this one. It kind of just flowed from there. 
> 
> I just want to add that this series will have no definite dates or times when it may be uploaded. Since they all stand alone it'll take more time for me to create each new chapter. I hope you'll all understand and bear with me.

Casey could shoot a shotgun with amazing accuracy. She could spot a buck over a mile away. When she drew pictures, she could make even the smallest details be seen.

But sometimes her mind would run away when she was doing menial things. 

When she was cleaning the kitchen one day, her mind wandered and she didn’t realize until she accidentally knocked over a dish from the edge of the counter. It had hit the ground with a resounding _crash_ and her mind had come back almost immediately. 

Dennis had come rushing in at the noise, looking for any sign that Casey had been injured. But all he found was her staring at the floor, a look of confusion on her face. She looked up at him and couldn’t help the startled laugh that broke from her lips. Within seconds she was dissolving into a fit of laughter, doubling over to catch her breath.

When she’d finally calmed down and was able to look up at Dennis again, he was shaking his head. His put his hand to the bridge of his nose, taking a deep breath. “Do you have shoes on?” he’d asked.

She knew she didn’t, but she had looked down anyways as if to make sure that was the case. When she shook her head, Dennis had sighed and walked over to her, picking her up and carrying her away from the broken shards of glass that encompassed the floor. 

When she put shoes on and went back to help him clean, he was already finished. She had started to apologize, but Dennis didn’t let her. Leading her to the living room. They watched movies the rest of the night. 

…

It was on one of these occasions, where her mind wandered away from her, that she actually hurt herself.

It was her turn to make dinner. Barry normally liked to do it and Dennis liked to make nice food for her. Jade and Hedwig normally wanted to order pizza or Chinese and Orwell didn’t stay around when it was dinner time. 

Tonight, though, she’d gotten Barry convinced to let her cook dinner for them. It had taken a lot of convincing - begging, really - from Casey, as well as the promise of chicken fajitas before he agreed to let her cook. 

The chicken was already cut, grilling in a skillet on the stove. She had a few different seasonings coating it, filling the kitchen with a wonderful smell.

While she was washing the vegetables to cut, Barry had come into the kitchen from his studio. “Need help?” he questioned, looking at what she was doing. Casey watched him smell the air and nod with approval.

Casey shook her head. “No, Barry,” she told him sternly, pointing towards the hallway. “Go away. I’m making dinner.”

 

Barry had grumbled, obviously wanting to put his own flair on the dish. 

But he turned on his heels, hunching his shoulders over - pouting. Casey shook her head, but there was a fond smile on her lips as she watched him disappear. 

A few moments later, she heard the sound of his music being turned on again, the bumping bass flooding the house. 

She went back to what she was doing, finishing with washing up a few extra peppers. She was happy that Dennis had gotten full peppers, peppers that would have the most flavor. 

Casey took them over to the cutting board, grabbing a knife from the block in the corner of the counter. She took a second to look at the edge of it - sometimes when Luke would come to the light, he’d talk to Casey about movies she’d never see and he would sharpen and clean the knives. He said it made certain they had something to defend themselves with in case someone broke in. He saw that in one of the many movies he spoiled.

Casey could practically see herself in the reflection of the blade. She rarely used this knife and from the many times Luke had sharpened it, it had to be the sharpest one in the block. It would be perfect for slicing through the vegetables and not getting dull.

She took one of the peppers, remembering what she used to have to do for her uncle when she cooked for him. There was never to be any seeds left and it had to be cut perfectly. No slices too big and no slices too small. They all had to be perfect. _Perfect_. She hated it, but it always stuck in her head. 

With all the peppers cut up, she filled an entire plate with them. Reds, greens, and oranges piled high. She hadn’t realized it while she was doing it, but she had them stacked in order, each layer a different color. 

The only things she had left to cut were two onions. They were large, perhaps too big, but she knew Barry liked them, so she would cut them both up and cook them both. She may not like them too much, but she could deal with it.

While she cut the first one, she focused on the knife. Focused on the way it cut through the onion. 

But the second one was where things went wrong.

At first, she was able to do the same as before. Watching the knife as she cut the onion up. But then her eye caught something in the window. She looked up, not realizing that she was still using the knife. 

What she had seen was the sunlight briefly glinting off her necklace and reflecting in the glass. She smiled slightly, looking at the necklace in the reflection. 

And then the knife slipped. 

She didn’t notice at first, but soon a burning sensation filled her hand. 

She blinked, looking down at the onion again. 

Casey watched her right hand open, dropping the knife with a cluttering noise on the counter. Her eyes barely focused on the way the blood was dripping out of her now closed left hand. The once white onion was now bright red. 

She blinked, the wound not yet registering in her mind. She could see the cut under the blood, about an inch long. Somehow she had cut her palm. 

Then her mind caught up. And so did the pain. 

The juice from the onion had seeped into the wound, adding a new element of pain aside from the already strong sting from the cut. 

The first thing she noticed was the way the tears were gathering in her eyes. They were filling up her field of vision, mixing with the onion and stinging her eyes. She tried to blink them away, trying to remember what she was supposed to do in this situation. 

_Apply pressure_ , her mind supplied. She nodded to herself, reaching for a dish towel and wrapping it around her hand. 

She’d had her fair share of cuts and wounds throughout her life, but those were nothing compared to this - at least the ones from her uncle weren’t. She noticed both her hands had started to shake.

“Oh god,” she whispered, the sight of all the blood making her head woozy. 

Whenever her uncle had taken a knife to her skin, it had - for the most part - been in the dark. Where she could clean herself up and bandage the wound without having to see much of the blood. 

But her hand was leaking so much blood that the dish rag had already turned as red as the onion. She unwrapped her hand, grabbing for another one and wrapping it again. Within seconds she could see the blood seeping through again.

Her breathing was coming out quickly now, making her even more light headed. 

“Barry,” she said, trying to yell for the man, but her voice was barely audible. There was no way he’d hear her over his music. She’d have to go to him.

Casey, first, walked to the stove and turned it off, ensuring that the pan the chicken was in was off the stovetop, not wanting to start an accidental fire. 

She stumbled over her feet, nearly falling down. She caught herself unconsciously with her wounded hand, a small scream bursting from her lips at the stab of pain. 

The music shut off. “Casey?” Barry’s voice was contorted, halfway between his own and Dennis’s. He must have heard the scream.

Casey couldn’t get her words to work, stuck in her mind. She shook her head as she righted herself, despite the fact that he couldn’t see her. 

She heard her name being called again, though it sounded like it was said through water. She blinked, trying to clear her vision again, seeing the figure appear from the hallway. The stance gave away Dennis, even if she wasn’t able to see the look on his face. 

He came running towards her, wrapping his arm around her before she could fall again. He carefully led her to a kitchen chair. “You’re okay,” he whispered, though she wasn’t sure who he was trying to convince. “What happened?”

He left her, going to a cabinet that held their first aid supplies. “Onion,” was all Casey was able to get out. 

Dennis seemed to realize that she was starting to drift away and he came back, holding her face with both his hands, staring into her eyes. “Casey, look at me,” he whispered, holding her head steady, she hadn’t realized her head had started to droop. 

Her mind was still swimming, but the longer she looked away from the blood, the clearer everything began. “I’m going to look at the cut, okay?” Dennis whispered. 

Casey didn’t answer but held her hand out to him. She could feel him gently unwrap it, wincing as the rag pulled on the torn skin. 

She heard the sound of the first aid kit popping open. “Okay,” he murmured. “I need to clean the wound, sweetheart.”

Casey swallowed thickly but nodded her head slowly. She heard him open a bottle of peroxide, gritting her teeth together before he poured it over her hand. She tried to keep the pained scream from leaving her lips, but it was reaching her ears in a second. She saw Dennis’s eyes squeeze shut for a moment, he hated hearing her in pain. 

It was over just as quickly as it had begun. Casey wondered if her mind had shut off while he finished cleaning it, to keep the pain from being too much. She only noticed when he was carefully wrapping the wound in a bandage. 

“Okay,” Dennis whispered, inspecting her bandaging, making sure it was up to his standards. “I’m going to put these in the washer,” he added, standing up and grabbing the two now soiled rags. Casey knew there was no use in washing them, they were ruined. “Stay here.”

Casey did as she was told, her eyes looking to the now ruined onion on the counter. She wasn’t hungry anymore. Her stomach was still flipping and twisting and turning. Even the smell of the food made her head swim. 

Dennis was back in a few minutes. “How do you feel?” he asked quietly, leaning down slightly to look her in the eyes. “Casey?”

Casey took a deep breath, blinking slowly. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled, not making eye contact, turning her head from him.

But he was grabbing her chin and turning it back, finding her eyes with his own. “You have nothing to be sorry for, Casey,” he whispered. 

Despite the words, Casey still felt like it was her fault. Like she had purposefully sliced her hand open. When she was younger, she would have been punished. Would have felt another knife slicing into her stomach, her back, her thighs, her shoulders. Dennis would never do that to her, but old habits die hard. 

“Casey,” he said again, bringing her back to the present. “Honey, it isn’t your fault.”

Casey shook her head. “Yes it is,” she muttered. “I should have been paying closer attention to the knife. It was my fault that I got distracted. It was stupid.”

Dennis was shaking his head, bringing their foreheads together. “It is not your fault,” he said again, more forcefully. It was a tactic he had picked up on. He had to be strong, be heard, to get Casey to believe these types of things. She had a bad habit of thinking that things going wrong were caused by her. “It was an accident. An accident. It could have happened to anyone. You couldn’t have stopped it.”

Casey dropped her eyes, not wanting to look into those ocean eyes. She knew that if she looked there, she would believe him. And she did want to believe him, but she couldn’t stop what she was feeling.

Dennis sighed softly, moving a bit. Casey looked up fearfully, convinced that he was going to leave her, despite knowing he wouldn’t. 

And he didn’t leave, merely standing up and taking her good hand. “Stand,” he told her gently. Casey followed his orders without a second thought. 

He leaned down slightly, taking her up into his arms, much like he had done when she’d broken the plate. Only this time the glass shards he was trying to protect her from were from her own mind. 

He carried her towards the bedroom. Casey watched the pictures on the walls pass by. Pictures she had taken. Pictures she and Hedwig had drawn. A picture of her and Dennis, kissing on the porch. It had taken thirteen tries to get it right, the two of them having trouble with the timer on the camera. 

Dennis stopped in front of that picture, smiling softly at it for a moment before walking again. 

They made it to the bedroom a few seconds later. Dennis laid down, haphazardly pulling her with him. He was holding her close to his chest.

Dennis reached down, pulling the comforter over them, something Casey noticed he did when one of them was having a bad day.

Protecting them from the outside world. 

“It’s not your fault,” Dennis said again, but she suddenly noticed how he was saying it. He wasn’t just talking about the cut. 

He knew where her mind had gone to. He knew the moment he’d seen it in her eyes. He knew she was blaming herself like she did so many times before. 

Casey ducked her head, burying it in the spot where his neck met his shoulders, trying to hide the fact that tears had started falling again.

But it didn’t slip past Dennis’s notice. She felt his hand rub her back gently, trying to comfort her. “I love you,” he said softly, taking his free hand and lifting her chin up, making her look at him again. “You know that?”

Casey nodded slightly, leaning into his hand as he gently wiped the tears from her cheek. “I know,” she murmured. “I love you too.”

Dennis smiled, kissing her forehead. “Good,” he whispered. “Otherwise this would be awkward,” he added, pressing his lips to her own.

He always knew how to make her feel better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing these makes me happy (for the most part) and I enjoy writing them for you guys.  
> Let me know on Tumblr or email what you would like to see in this series (or in the comments, whichever suits your fancy)
> 
> Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/underaspark  
> Email: underling.1313@gmail.com
> 
> Hope you all have a wonderful week.  
> peace, love, and rainbows <3


	3. Decorating

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Casey helps to decorate Hedwig's room

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Third chapter, third moment of the three years.
> 
> Hope you all like this one.

Casey was asleep. Jade had commandeered the light the night before and had kept it when Casey started slipping into sleep while watching television on the couch. Jade had made some joking remark about her falling asleep, said she was getting old, before telling her she just needed to go to bed. Casey, despite wanting to wait and see if Dennis came to the light again, agreed, and slipped down the hallway to their bedroom.

Even though she was alone in the bed, she had curled up on her ‘side’, hoping that she wouldn’t have to sleep alone. She always hated it. The bed felt too cold, too big, _vacant_. 

But when she woke up around three in the morning, she was still alone in the bed. 

She’d gotten up, walking around the dark house for a few minutes. She made her way out to the living room, seeing that the television was still turned on. Old sitcoms were playing, reruns that Casey had already seen. Someone was sprawled out across the couch, long limbs splaying all around. 

Casey laughed, shaking her head and walking over, kneeling down in front of their face. She reached out carefully, shaking their shoulder. “Hey,” she whispered. “Wake up. The couch isn’t comfortable enough to sleep on it all night.”

They opened their eyes, blinking a few times trying to place where they were. “‘Sey?” she heard them say, easily picking up on the lisp as Hedwig talked, emphasized by his tiredness. 

“Hey, Hedwig,” she whispered, helping him sit up. “Let’s get you to bed, yeah?” 

Hedwig nodded, wiping at his eyes and standing up, leaning towards Casey, who kept an arm around him to make sure he didn’t fall over from being tired. 

When they got to the room that Hedwig had chosen for his own, Casey opened the door. She felt bad for a moment. They had been neglecting him a bit. His room was barren. There was a simple bed, with some pillows and comforter set that they’d let him pick out, ordering it online. There was a dark wooden dresser in one corner. But that was it. It was boring. Hedwig complained a lot in the beginning, but eventually just began to deal with it.

Casey helped him into the bed, tucking the blankets around him. “Hey,” Casey murmured as he started closing his eyes. “How about we decorate your room tomorrow?” she suggested.

Hedwig’s eyes grew wide, nodding his head quickly. “Yes!” he said excitedly. “Can we? I have drawings I wanna put up and Dennis gave me a picture of me and you and I have your drawing and a poster and we can go to town and we can-”

Casey cut him off, holding her hands up. “Let's start with the simple things,” she suggested. “We’ll get your pictures and things hung up tomorrow and then we’ll see how much time we have left, yeah?”

Hedwig nodded again, agreeing with the suggestion. “Yes, please,” he murmured, his eyes starting to droop again. 

Casey smiled, brushing his hair back from his eyes and kissing his forehead. “Goodnight, Hedwig,” she whispered. 

“Night, Case’.”

…

 

And Casey was asleep. 

She was sprawled out over the bed, arms and limbs spread eagle. She was face down, a habit she’d picked up while living with her uncle, never wanting to see him looming over her. 

Someone was shaking her, a bit violently. She groaned, pulling her arms over her head, trying to stay asleep. 

“Caaaaaaaa _seeeeey_ ,” she heard the person whine, shaking her shoulder again. “Wake up! We gotta dec- deca- make my room look cool.”

Casey rolled over, blinking up at Hedwig leaning over her, eyes twinkling with excitement. 

Casey sighed but began to get up, happy she’d decided to sleep in her lounge clothes instead of just sleeping in the normal ensemble of Dennis’s shirt and a pair of underwear. 

Hedwig had a hold of her hand as soon as she was standing up, dragging her out of the room and towards his. He had already gotten out the drawings that Dennis had packed, a picture frame on top of it all. 

Casey looked to it, smiling when she found her own grin looking back at her, Hedwig’s arm thrown over her shoulders, a wide grin spread across his lips. It was the day Dennis and she were taking pictures, Hedwig had come out and wanted to take a picture with Casey. He was only there long enough for one picture, but it was a nice picture.

“I want that one next to my bed,” he told her, before turning to the side and realizing he didn’t have a table there. His face fell slightly, but he tried not to show it. “Or, actually, on the dresser,” he decided, pointing at the wooden dresser, but his voice wasn’t as excited anymore. 

Casey frowned, remembering that Dennis and she had a bedside table on each of their sides. “One second, Hedwig,” she said, taking her hand from him and going from the room. She went into her own, going to her side and taking her bedside table and lifting it up. 

She carried it from the room and into Hedwig’s. His eyes lit up when he saw her carrying it, taking it from her and putting it on the right side of his bed. “Thank you, Casey!” he shouted, running over and hugging her, a bit too tightly, but Casey didn’t mind, laughing and returning the hug as best as she could. 

Casey watched as Hedwig let go and grabbed the picture frame, carefully placing it on the table, facing towards the bed. He had a triumphant smile on his face as he turned to look at Casey. 

He didn’t wait for her to say anything, spreading out his pictures and holding up some tape. “Dennis said I wasn’t allowed to use nails or tacks,” he told her. “So he told me where the tape was and that we can tape my stuff up.”

Casey nodded, surprised at the number of drawings he had, a mix of his own and of hers that she had drawn for him. They took up nearly the entire bed. 

“Well,” Casey murmured, picking up the first one. “I guess we better get going.”

…

They tried to make quick work of it, but Hedwig got carried away easily. He would find a drawing that he had forgotten, wanting to show Casey and having to replay the entire story behind it. 

At one point, Hedwig asked Casey to play music, and now her phone was set up on a playlist of _**The Best Hits**_ from over the years. 

Casey was taping up the last picture. “Make sure it’s above my bed,” Hedwig told her, pointing to a general spot above his pillows. “I love that picture, it’s my favorite. You made it for me.”

It was the first picture Casey gave to Hedwig. The day Barry got her to draw. Truthfully it was quite likely that it was her favorite picture as well. 

Casey stood back, making sure the picture was put up straight, directly above the center of Hedwig’s bed. 

Hedwig was standing to the side of the bed, moving away when Casey jumped down, making sure she didn’t land on him. 

Again, he enveloped her in his arms, squeezing just as tightly as before. It didn’t bother her and she wrapped her arms around him, holding him tightly. 

“Casey?” he asked, she could tell he would be frowning. 

Casey didn’t mean to start crying, she really didn’t. She didn’t know at first why the tears started falling, but she eventually figured it out. It was the feeling of being appreciated for what she did for someone. It was the feeling of being loved. Sometimes it just hit her harder than other times.

“Casey?” Hedwig asked again. “Are you cryin’?”

Casey took a deep breath, leaning back and looking up at him. “I’m okay, Hedwig,” she told him softly. 

Hedwig was frowning, just as she had expected. “You lyin’?”

Casey shook her head. “I’m okay,” she said again. “I promise.”

He opened his mouth to say something else, most likely to argue with her. Argue with what she said. She was crying, _obviously_ she wasn’t _okay_. 

But Casey spoke up again before he could. “Do you want to eat some ice cream, Hedwig?”

Whatever Hedwig was going to say, it stopped before it could come out, disappearing as a great smile took over his face, nodding quickly and grabbing her, already pulling her from the room.

He’d question her later, but at least for now she wouldn’t have to answer the tough questions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, let me know what you'd all like to see in these three years. You can tell me on Tumblr, over email, in comments. I'll check them all.   
> I have a list on Tumblr already of things I'll write chapters for, that list may grow with things I think of or moments people want to see. 
> 
> Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/underaspark  
> Email: underling.1313@gmail.com


	4. Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All in all a bad day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Triggering for some: Past abuse, past sexual abuse, past trauma
> 
> Sorry, this took so long for me to write, I wanted it to be good. Also, it was a lot longer than most of my other chapters. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy it.

_Casey’s room was dark. It seemed even darker than most days. Like every source of light had been sucked out of the world. She couldn’t even see the glow of the moon outside her window._

_She was young again, maybe eleven or twelve. Her room was stifling hot - it must be summer outside. Despite the near agonizing heat, she had long pants and a long sleeved shirt on. Her blanket was pulled up to her chin._

_She was laying on her side, curled up in a tight ball, trying to make herself as small as possible. As if by doing so she would fade away into the bed. As if she would become nothing but the air in the room._

_Out in the living room, she could hear the television running, the sounds of late night cable playing. She’d once snuck out to see what her uncle was watching. Her uncle had caught her and instead of making her go back to her room, he’d forced her to sit next to him and watch it. His hand had been heavy on her thigh, she’d bite her tongue when his hand moved higher, pulling down her underwear._

_A cabinet slammed shut in the kitchen and Casey tried to shrink into the bed. She could hear her uncle’s thundering footsteps coming down the hallway. Closer and closer until he was right outside her door. He was standing outside it. She could see his shadow breaking through the light barely streaming under the door._

_She heard the doorknob turning. One way and then the other. She had a foolish thought that maybe he wouldn’t come in tonight._

_But then she heard the door creak as he pushed it open._

_It took a few horrible drawn-out moments before he stumbled through the doorway. Even from her bed, she could smell the booze and smoke._

_She closed her eyes tightly. Pretending that if she couldn’t see him, then he couldn’t see her._

_“Casey,” his voice was slurred. She could feel him standing next to her bed. “Casey, wake up.”_

_She didn’t move, didn’t open her eyes. She knew what she’d see, her uncle looming over her._

_She felt him pull the blanket down her torso. She grit her teeth together when he moved her shirt down from her collarbone. She smelt the cigarette before it pressed against her skin._

_Casey felt her mouth open to scream, but nothing came out. Any sound she tried to make was lost into a void of silence._

_The burning against her collarbone was overwhelming. She brought her hands up, trying to push her uncle away from her._

_She heard him let out a low growl. The cigarette was pulled from her skin for one moment of sweet relief._

_But the relief was short lived. The relief was stolen from her when her blanket was yanked off her entirely._

_Her uncle was leaning, looming, over top of her. His eyes look like black holes._

_Casey tried to scramble away, tried to roll off the other side of the bed. Suddenly, there was a hand tangling in her hair, ripping her backward. This time, her scream was heard. Loud and full of pain._

_He only laughed._

_“Do you never learn?” he questioned, pulling her face close to his. The smell of booze on his breath made her feel sick. Made her want to curl up and disappear. “You’re mine. If you think any different,” he trailed off. Casey felt his hands traveling over her body, she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block everything out._

_There was a ripping sound and she felt air hit her chest._

_His hands were on her breasts. His hands were tight and harsh, unforgiving. Tears welled up in her eyes._

_She did the only thing she could think of, bringing her knee up._

_She knew the moment it made contact with his groin. He let out a sound of pain and pulled his hands away to cover himself._

_With the short seconds of freedom, she finally rolled from the bed, hitting the ground with a dull **thud.**_

_Casey leaped to her feet, running from the bedroom as quickly as her legs would carry her. She could hear her uncle screaming at her from behind her._

_She could feel herself aging as she ran down the hallway. The scene changed. She was in the bunker beneath the zoo again._

_Her outfit was the same as that last night. Her torn shirt hanging off her thin, frail body in ribbons._

_Her uncle’s shouts grew quiet, falling in the distance. There was a new sound now._

_**Growling.** _

_Casey risked a mindless glance behind her. She saw a hand raised before she was knocked to the ground._

_She rolled onto her back, trying to scoot away. The face looming over her was covered in blood, spilling from his mouth, his eyes were dark pits of blackness. Evil._

_There was a monster above her._

_His breath was hot on her face, snarling above her._

_She braced herself, holding her hands over her face. She tried to push the monster away from her._

_The feeling of teeth biting, ripping into her forearm was nothing but excruciating pain._

_Casey knew this must be the end. There was no possible way that she was going to get out of this._

_And then he stood. Pulling her up with him. His hands were rough with her._

_She looked him in the eyes, watching the dark pupils contract back, exposing the blue irises she had come to know. Grown to love._

_“Dennis?” her voice sounded like it was coming from down a long hallway. “Oh thank god. Thank god. I’m so happy to see you.”_

_She collapsed against him, clutching tightly against his back._

_But he made no move to hold her. “Why?” his voice sounded vacant._

_Casey pulled back, looking up at him. “Be… because I love you?” she noticed the way her voice seemed to shake._

_A laugh made its way out of Dennis’s throat and Casey took a stumbling step backward._

_“Oh,” he said, twisting his hands together in front of him. “Well, I don’t love you.”_

_His pupils grew again._

_Casey opened her mouth to scream._

…

Casey shot up in bed, her whole body shaking, covered in sweat. Her heart felt like it was about to burst from her chest. Her vision was blurred with tears. The scream carried from her nightmare into real life.

Arms wrapped around her. She felt herself trying to break free of them, trying to push them away. “Let me go!” she was shouting. “Don’t hurt me! Please!”

Someone was shushing her, a soft voice in her hair. “It’s okay, Casey,” she knew that voice. “It’s okay. It was a nightmare. You’re okay.”

Her heartbeat was starting to slow down, but she could still feel tears pouring down from her eyes. Her chest was heaving with broken breaths and sobs.

“It’s okay,” it was Dennis. Casey felt her heart twist. “It’s okay, sweetheart. Just breathe.”

Casey twisted to look at him. Worry was written over his face, pain in his eyes. She knew she must have said his name in her sleep. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

Dennis shook his head. “No,” he murmured, brushing a sweat-soaked chunk of hair from her face. “It was a nightmare. It wasn’t your fault.”

Casey stared at him, sniffling once. She let out a deep breath, collapsing into his chest.

He held her there until she fell asleep.

…

When Casey woke again, she knew it had only been a couple of hours. The sun was barely showing through the windows.

Dennis was still asleep next to her. She gently extracted herself from his arms, crawling off the bed.

Her feet hit the ground with a soft noise. She stood and walked from the room.

She felt _off_. 

She knew the day was already stacked against her.

…

When Dennis came out from the bedroom a few hours later, Casey was at the kitchen table, staring off out the window.

Dennis placed his hand on her shoulder and she unconsciously flinched. “You okay?” he asked softly.

Casey looked up at him and, though she felt like her world was imploding, she smiled and murmured, “I’m fine.”

Dennis didn’t seem entirely convinced, but he didn’t push her.

Casey messed with the mug in front of her, full of now lukewarm coffee. 

Dennis turned on the sink, filling a cup up with water. The noise made Casey feel upset, but she couldn’t figure out why.

She stood up, taking the mug with her as she made her way to the living room.

The sink shut off and Casey could hear Dennis walking towards her. She pulled her legs up underneath herself, staring at the news playing quietly on the television.

“Casey,” Dennis said softly, voice slightly concerned, standing in front of her. “Are you sure you’re okay? You seem… off.”

Casey’s vision seemed to blur for a second and she took a deep breath. “I’m _fine_ ,” she muttered.

Dennis hovered for a moment but ended up walking to the recliner and sitting down. They fell into silence.

Casey couldn’t focus on the television, lapsing in and out of attention. Her mind kept wandering back to dream the night before.

All she could see was the Beast. And the more she remembered him, the more she started to remember Claire and Marcia. She flinched when she saw their last moments again, tears filling her eyes. Her grip on the mug tightened.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Dennis asked again a few minutes later.

Casey came back to reality and she felt herself snap. She stood up, taking a deep breath. “I am _fine_. But you repeatedly asking if I’m okay is making me not fine. So just _stop_!”

She didn’t give him a chance to react, storming out of the house, slamming the door behind her. She walked down the stairs and sat on the bottom one.

Dennis didn’t follow her.

…

Casey had been out in the cold for nearly an hour. Any trace of heat that the mug held had disappeared into the air. 

And she remained alone.

She hadn’t heard any noises from inside the house in nearly the entire time she’d been out here.

While she’d been sitting there, though, she’d been able to think. She knew she had overreacted, knew Dennis didn’t deserve her outburst. And she hadn’t wanted to do that to him, but something had come over her and she couldn’t stop herself.

Casey sighed, pushing herself up from the damp step. She walked through the front door slowly, glancing around the entryway. No one was in sight.

She bit her lip, going to the kitchen. She set the mug down, but it caught on the edge of the table, tumbling to the ground.

She stared at it, looking at the shards of broken glass scattered over the floor.

The tears started falling as she collapsed to the ground. Sobs were wracking through her body. Her arms wrapped around her torso, trying to hold herself together. 

She could feel herself shaking. Her sobs were practically screams, ripped from her throat.

She barely heard the thudding of footsteps running towards her. Strong arms wrapped around her, enveloping her own. “Shh,” a voice was whispering to her. “You’re okay. It’s okay.”

She was being lifted up, carried away from the kitchen, away from the shattered glass. She hadn’t realized it before, but the water was running in the bathroom, filling up the tub.

Dennis sat her on the closed toilet lid, gingerly helping her out of her dampened clothes, wiping the tears from her cheeks the moment they fell.

When she was naked, he carefully lifted her again, placing her in the warm bath, shutting off the faucet.

He helped her wet her hair, beginning to wash it.

…

By the end, Casey had stopped sobbing, but the tears were still falling. They just happened to be silent now.

Dennis helped her out, wrapping her in a towel and helped to gently towel dry her hair.

He carried her to their room, dressing her in lounge clothes when they got there.

He still hadn’t said a word as he helped her into the bed.

“It’s not your fault,” Dennis murmured as he crawled in behind her, holding her close. “It’s called overstimulation. It can happen at any time, especially if you’ve had a rough night. It’s okay, sweetheart.”

The tears had never stopped, but they became larger now. She turned to face him, burying her face in his chest. “Thank you,” she whispered.

“Anything for you, my love,” he murmured, kissing the top of her head as she began to slip into slumber. _Exhausted._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you'd like to see in this.
> 
> Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/underaspark  
> Email: underling.1313@gmail.com
> 
> peace, love, and rainbows <3


	5. Scars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scars hold stories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to change my rating to Mature because of this chapter.  
> Enjoy.

It was another one of those rare sunny days. It was better in the summer. When the rains still came but came with more days in between. The sun would show behind the clouds. But those clouds were still heavy, even if the rain didn’t fall. You could stare up at the clouds and wonder, _was the rain about to fall, fall like tears on their grass_. And the grass. It was so green. With the sun shining it seemed like a green that was impossible. They were living in the impossible.

It was June. The temperature usually reached around seventy degrees but today it was in the high eighties. The windows were all open. Casey had the front door propped open, the dogs running around outside. She could hear them playing in the grass, running between the trees. It was the type of day that Casey didn’t know what to do with. And today, despite the cleanliness of the house, she felt compelled to clean. 

But it was too warm. Hot almost. They had air conditioning but Casey didn’t see the need for adding an extra charge to their bill at the end of the month. It was easier to just deal with it. To discard some clothing and handle it. 

So that was why Casey was wandering around the house in a tank top and shorts. They were both grey, something Barry would despise if he were to see her now. Would call it a ‘groutfit’. An obnoxious word he used in an attempt to get her to see the error of her fashion ways and change. It never worked, of course, but that didn’t stop him from trying. 

Dennis was out again today. He’d gotten a job at an office, but it allowed him to work from home many days. Today he’d been called in but had assured her that he’d be back home for lunch. Casey had gotten out of bed when he had. Had stood in the shower with him. Had let him wash her hair with supreme focus. Had felt when his fingers got caught in a knot and pulled her head back. He had been able to ignore the gasp that would fall from her lips. 

In the end, those noises had won out. He’d spun her around to face him, had walked her the few steps to press her against the wall. The warm water was vacant from her in this position, but the heat of him against her made up for it. 

His hands traveled over her body, his lips found her own, swallowing up a gasp as he lifted her off the floor. As her legs wrapped around his waist. It was easy for him to hold her up with only one arm, easy for him to use his other to tangle in her hair and pull down. His mouth traveled down and bit softly, eagerly on her throat. 

Casey could feel him, hot, hard, and heavy against her thighs. Could hear his breath shudder as she ground down against him. Could feel him chuckle against her throat as he pulled her down to him. Could feel her own breath pushed out of her as he pushed in. His hand dropped from her hair to aid his other as he began thrusting in and out of her. Her head stayed laid back until his lips climbed and claimed hers again. 

_…_

The shower lasted far longer than it had been meant to. They finally left the pour of water into the steam of the bathroom. Casey let herself be wrapped in a towel, Dennis’s touches soft and delicate with her. The mirror was fogged and Casey leaned forward to draw a heart in the haze. Dennis’s lips found her still damp shoulder and kissed gently. 

“You need to get dressed,” she whispered, looking up at him with soft eyes. He smiled, lips only twitching up at the corners, but it was a smile by Dennis’s standards. 

He leaned down to kiss her once, twice, three times. His hand found hers and they tangled together at their sides, leading her from the bathroom and into the bedroom. She sat down on the bed, laying back and staring at the ceiling. Dennis disappeared into the closet. 

When he came out again, he was dressed in his usual iron pressed dark outfit. Casey smiled as she watched him walk. He came around to the side of the bed where her legs hung off, finding his way between them. She grabbed for his shirt and pulled him towards her, a cunning smile on her face. But he was stronger than her and he shook his head, winking down at her. “After work,” he murmured, a promise lying in his words. Casey grinned and relented. 

He kissed her forehead before leaving, a murmured, “I love you,” as he disappeared from their room. She heard the front door open and shut. Heard the dogs' nails hitting the floor as they walked to the door and back to the couch. 

_…_

Casey hadn’t looked at the clock since she’d started cleaning. She found that she often lost her motivation as soon as she saw the time. If she had looked, she would have seen that it was lunchtime. Would have known that Dennis would be home soon. 

If she hadn’t had her earbuds in, she would have heard the front door open and close when Dennis got there. She would have heard him stumble to a stop when he saw her. 

She rarely wore shorts. Tank tops, sure, but shorts were something different. She tried to hide the scar on her leg from Dennis’s eyes. He always felt awful when he saw it and she hated seeing the sadness he tried to hide behind his smile. 

She turned, intent on scrubbing the rest of the counter free of invisible dust. Her heart stuttered at the sight of Dennis staring at her. Eyes cast down at where that scar had been facing him. She knew what that look meant. Knew that as soon as he looked up, as soon as he locked eyes with her, she’d see that heartache all over again. 

“Dennis,” she whispered, walking close to him. She reached out and lifted his chin up slightly, finding his eyes with her own. There was trust in her eyes, there was forgiveness, but his eyes would never see that. They’d see the fear that had been at large that night ages ago. “Dennis,” she whispered again, cupping his cheek with her hand. “I’m okay.” 

She watched his throat work as he swallowed, watching the flooding of emotions in his eyes. The turmoil boiling up and over the edges. Over the walls he so carefully constructed. The walls that Casey managed to constantly break down. “I’m okay.” 

His teeth were working his bottom lip, pulling on the thin skin there. She knew her words weren’t going to help right now. “Look at me,” she murmured. His eyebrows pulled together, mouth opening to speak, though Casey cut him off. “No, Dennis. Really look at me. I’m okay. It wasn’t your fault and I don’t blame you. I don’t blame you. _I don’t blame you_ ,” she repeated it over and over again, holding his gaze with a ferocity she was barely able to contain. 

Dennis’s eyes bounced back and forth between her own. Always looking for a lie she never held. “It never gets any easier,” he whispered, his voice one step away from breaking. It wavered with each word. “Do you know… do you know how often you limp without realizing it?” he questioned. “Do you ever realize how often you reach down when we watch a movie or sit at the table or are simply sitting in bed and rub the scar there? Your eyes will glaze over sometimes with memories of what we did, of what _I_ did. And I can tell when that pain washes over you,” he continued, eyes glazing over. “I know you don’t blame me but you _should_.” 

He didn’t let her get in another word, stepping back from her and walking down the hall. Some days Casey would follow behind him and sit in the silence with him. But she knew she shouldn’t today. He would be better off if he was able to cool down on his own. He would come back out and he would apologize and he would kiss her softly and they’d be okay. Everything would be okay. 

_…_

When the door to their bedroom opened again, she knew before looking that it wasn’t Dennis walking down the hall. The footsteps were too heavy and quick. They held no rhythm. It was Hedwig. 

“Casey!” his voice was excited when he came and sat down next to her on the couch. She hadn’t moved from there since she sat down not long after Dennis had disappeared. “Do you wanna go ou- hey what’re those marks?" 

She looked over at him, seeing his eyes trained on her collarbone. She never wore tank tops around Hedwig. She didn’t want him to see her scars up close, didn’t want to hurt him with the knowledge that the world kind of sucked. 

But now she had no choice. Maybe on another day, she would try to get his attention on something else. Perhaps offer some ice cream or a walk outside. But the way he was looking told her that there was no way he was going to let this one drop. Not this one. 

“Have you ever…” she trailed off, watching his eyes come up to meet her with curiosity. “Have you ever accidentally tripped and scraped your knees,” he nodded quickly. “And after it bleeds, it gets a scab, and sometimes there’s a little bit of skin that stays a different color and a little raised,” again he nodded. “Well, those are called scars. They happen when you get hurt and you bleed and that heals.” 

His hand was on his chest. “Like the ones we got from that gun?” he questioned. 

Casey bit her lip, she didn’t like thinking about that. About shooting them and leaving her mark there. Just like when Dennis saw her scar on her leg, she fell into a harsh oblivion when she saw those scars on his chest. When they were kissing in the shower or when he was holding himself over her and kissed her gently. When he didn’t have a shirt on and she had to look at those _horrible_ scars she had caused. 

“Like those,” she whispered. “And sometimes, these scars are caused by yourself, like when you fall. But sometimes… sometimes they’re caused by other people, like with the gun.” 

Hedwig frowned. “Dennis is all upset about the scar on your leg, the one from the Beast,” he mumbled. “He keeps saying it’s his fault, are those his fa-?” 

“No, no, no,” Casey said quickly, not even allowing him to finish that thought. She would never let him think these were caused by any of them. “These ones,” she gestured to her collarbones and shoulders. “And some on my stomach,” she added with a soft voice. “They’re from a very, very bad man. He hurt me. A lot. And he… he was someone I was supposed to be able to rely on. Someone who was supposed to love me, but didn’t.” 

Hedwig was staring at her with a sad face. “Like Kevin’s mom?” he asked quietly, his lisp almost unintelligible with the soft voice. 

Casey nodded sadly. “Yeah,” she whispered. “And sometimes he would get really angry and hurt me. But I’m okay now. Just like I’m okay with my leg. My leg is okay. Everything is okay.” 

“Who was he?” Hedwig asked. “The man you said? Who was the bad man?” 

Casey sighed, running a hand over her face. She hated talking about this. Hated talking about him. But she’d already told Hedwig so much, it wouldn’t be fair to deprive him of the rest of this information. “He was my Uncle John,” she murmured. “You see… when my dad died, my uncle was supposed to take care of me. But he didn’t. And I got hurt a lot. But everything is okay now, remember? I’m okay now.” 

Hedwig was staring at her, a gaze that was shifting underneath. Shifting until it was less sad and filled with that turmoil again. Dennis was back. And it was obvious he had listened to the entire conversation. 

“Hey,” Casey whispered, reaching out to cup his cheek again. “Are you okay?” 

Dennis stared at her, the only person able to see straight through her. The only person who was able to know if she was really telling the truth. He sighed, dropping his head. Casey wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close. “I’m okay,” she murmured. 

“You’re okay,” Dennis repeated. Casey let out a sigh of relief, a small smile lifting her lips. “I love you.” 

Casey kissed the top of his head. “I love you too.” 

_…_

Later, it was a tangle of limbs and whispered words. Names caught on lips and caught between bodies. There were hands wandering over each other. 

Casey's legs were spread wide, pulling Dennis closer and closer. Farther and farther. She heard her voice whispering in his ear. Whispered _harders_ and proclamations of the love they shared. 

Afterward, they would lay in bed holding each other. Dennis would hold her a little tighter than he meant to, closer than Casey thought possible. They’d whisper their love once more before falling asleep in each other's arms. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I'm sorry for the wait in between these chapters. Like I've said before, these don't have specific storylines that I'm following and I have to really think about them before I can write a new chapter.  
> Thank you for staying with me.  
> Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/underaspark  
> Email: underling.1313@gmail.com  
> Peace, love, and rainbows <3


	6. Tease

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the last chapter, I said it was the reason I had to change the rating, but, nope, it's 100% because of this chapter.   
> This chapter came randomly and spilled onto the page.   
> Pure smut. I have no regret.

Casey woke with a strange feeling in her gut. It was like heat curling in her stomach. Her mind was running wild, a mischievous snake slithering through her thoughts. 

She rolled over, just enough to see the body laying next to her. Dennis’s face was calm with sleep, a surreal look on his features. She raised her hand up, trailing her fingers over his cheek, his chin, down his throat. He barely twitched from the touch, but he let out a soft breath, letting Casey know that he felt her. 

Casey bit her lip, continuing to stare at him. When he was asleep, he was at his most peaceful. Try as he might, he couldn’t get his frown to follow him into sleep. His face would relax, his eyebrows would loosen, and he would sleep. 

Casey didn’t know which look she liked more. The calm look when he was sleeping, when he didn’t have any worries on his mind. Or the collected, forceful, almost terrifying look he wore when he was awake. The look that would stop Casey in her tracks or drop her to her knees. 

No, that wasn’t quite true. She knew which look she liked more and it wasn’t the one staring back at her now. 

She wondered what she should do, what course of action she should take. 

Dennis would be awake soon, he’d do what he did every morning - and night - he’d go and take a shower. And in that shower, he’d take care of the very pressing matter that would be on his hands. That matter that was currently pressing against Casey’s body.

She knew if Dennis were to wake up right now, he’d see a mischievous smile upon her lips. She moved her hips slightly, pushing them forward against Dennis. She bit her lip as his heat pressed up against her. 

The groan that worked its way from Dennis’s throat showed that he was starting to wake. Casey couldn’t help the small giggle that came from her lips. Warm hands found their way onto her hips, stilling her. Dennis’s eyes slowly slid open, blinking down at her. “What’re you doing?” he questioned, raising an eyebrow. 

Casey grinned but didn’t say anything. She pressed forward again, catching his lips with her own. 

Dennis kissed like he did a lot of things. Passionately. Strong. 

His hands were doing what they did best - aside from cleaning - and found their way all over her body. Warm and solid on her back, holding her flush against his chest. They’d been exhausted last night and neither one of them had been up for anything. Casey was in her lounge clothes, soft sweats, and a t-shirt, Dennis had stripped out of his clothes and into his underwear. 

So, while Dennis was nearly naked, Casey was still entirely clothed. His hand moved to the front of her shirt, still on the outside, cupping her breast. She sucked in a small breath, arching into the touch when he began massaging her. His hips bucked against her, hard and hot and wanting. 

Casey dropped her head back, eyes closed. Dennis’s mouth slid down to her throat, kissing and nipping at the sensitive skin. One of Dennis’s favorite things was to mark her there. To show that she was _his_ and only his. Both hands were on her breast now, under her shirt now. He was rough in all the right ways, making sure not to hurt her. 

She felt his hands move, sliding down, farther and farther, until they were at the waistband of her sweats. They cupped her ass, once again massaging the skin there. Casey lifted her head again, kissing him hard. She could feel him practically pulsating against her, his breath almost uneven but trying to stay solid. 

That mischievous feeling came again, a smirk finding its way to her lips. Dennis stopped moving, feeling the change in atmosphere. He pulled back, eyebrows knitted together in his common fashion. “Why the smile?” he questioned, his accent rough with want. 

Casey only continued to grin at him, feeling almost like the Cheshire Cat. She moved, rolling on top of him, knees placed on either side of him. Dennis stared up at her, hands finding their spots on her hips again. She moved her hips, grinding down against him. Dennis let out a small moan, a noise that he only let out when he started losing his control. 

Dennis’s hands reached up and under her shirt, once again finding her breasts and thumbing at her nipples. Casey’s plan almost began failing, head dropping back with a quiet moan that mimicked his own. Dennis knew how to play Casey like a fiddle, knew what caused her to lose control, but Casey had a plan. 

She rolled off him again, giggling to herself as she climbed from the bed, feet landing on the floor with a soft _thud_. She heard Dennis scoff and stole a glance behind herself as she walked out, seeing him staring back at her. A look, not quite angry, not quite happy, more like the gears were turning in his head. His boxers were tented and Casey grinned wider, disappearing out of the room. 

She heard nothing for a few minutes, aside from grumbled words. Another _thud_ , but not an angry one, one that showed he was trying to keep his composure. He would do that on nights that he was trying to keep his cool. Trying to keep from pushing Casey down into the mattress and take and take. 

Casey’s plan was working. It was a plan that she hadn’t realized until she’d started it. Dennis was always so _safe_. He refused to do anything that could potentially hurt her. Even if she wanted him to. Even if she wanted him to hold her down and fuck her like a ragdoll. Take her apart and put her back together. 

The shower started, she hadn’t even heard him shut the door. 

She peered down the hallway, seeing the closed door to the bathroom, the bedroom door wide open. She carefully crept down the hallway, walking into their room. She went to their closet, finding what she’d hidden behind a few hanging clothes. A box, nondescript and black. Dennis wouldn’t have given in a second thought if he’d seen it. Perhaps he would have thought it was Barry’s. 

She brought it out to the bed, sitting it down. She peered out the door, ensuring that the bathroom door was still shut, the shower was still running. She knew what Dennis would be doing in there, taking care of what she had started. She had to force herself to stick to the plan, not to go running in there and drop to her knees to help. 

She felt herself squeezing her thighs together, taking a deep breath to clear her head. 

Casey lifted the top of the box off, pulling the tissue paper off the top. Inside, black and red lace was staring up at her. She took a deep breath as she pulled it out, holding it in front of her. 

There were three separate pieces. The top was two red bra cups, going down in a curved fashion from the middle. Over top that, wrapping around her upper body, was black lace, coming together in the back with small clasps. A black satin bow was in between her boobs, two satin crosses over top the red down her midsection. Two black straps held it up, a red satin bow on each. The underwear - if you could call it that - was red with black lace on top of it in the front. Two straps came off each side, coming around to the back and meeting with a bow, another small string between her ass cheeks finished it. 

The bottom of the top had two straps on each side, front and back, a bow at the top of each strap. They came down and hooked to two fishnets thigh highs, lace at the top of them to finish off the look. 

She bit her lip, walking to the mirror in the closet. Dennis liked it there to ensure his clothes fit together well before going into town. She gasped slightly at her reflection. She didn’t look like herself, she looked like someone out of a porn video. 

The shower stopped. Casey ran back out to the bedroom, tousling her hair as she went, grabbing the last article of clothing in the box. A red satin robe with black lace trim. She wrapped it around herself and slid the box underneath the bed, kicking it far under to make sure Dennis wouldn’t see it when he came back to get dressed. Her final step was to grab his cologne and spray it on herself.

She rushed out of the room, running to the kitchen. She made it as soon as she heard the bathroom door opening. Dennis was still grumbling to himself. 

She heard their bedroom door shut, a little louder than normal, letting Casey know that Dennis didn’t appreciate her show earlier. Casey couldn’t help but chuckle to herself again.

She started a pot of coffee, hopping herself up onto the counter. Her legs were swinging when the coffee pot finished, the same time Dennis exited the bedroom. Casey turned, parting her lips just so. She tried to look at him with ‘bedroom’ eyes but wasn’t sure if she was hitting her mark. 

She watched Dennis swallow, eyebrows pulled together, coming closer to his eyes as he looked at her. She watched his tongue dart out, wetting his lips and looking down the hall, towards the bedroom. 

Casey hopped off the counter, walking over and grabbing a mug, pouring herself a cup of coffee. She used both hands to hold it, raising it to her lips slowly, sitting it down carefully. “Hey,” she murmured. “I made coffee.”

Dennis stared at her for another few moments, taking a deep breath. He took a few steps forward, grabbing his own mug - a plain black one - and filled it halfway. He kept his eyes forcefully on Casey’s face. 

Casey leaned up, kissing his chin softly. “You smell nice,” she murmured. She heard him inhale, knew he was smelling his cologne, was smelling _him_ on her. 

He sat his mug on the counter, reached out and pulled her close to him, one hand just above her waist. “What’re you trying to do to me?” he questioned, breath hot on her face. “It’s not nice to tease.”

Casey grinned up at him, licking her lips slowly. Dennis raised an eyebrow at her. 

Casey took a step back, untying her robe. Dennis watched her hands, slow and deliberate. She watched his eyes as the robe fell to the ground. She watched the way his eyes slid over her body and up again. His eyebrows shooting up for a second as he turned his head, rubbing his hand over his hair. She saw the way his teeth grabbed his bottom lip. 

She stepped forward again. “Come with me,” she whispered. She began walking away from him, eyes on their bedroom, the door open. 

Dennis had other ideas. A hand shot out, grabbing onto her wrist and spinning her back around to face him. He backed her up against a wall of the kitchen, caging her in. Casey’s breath caught in her throat at the movement. “ _Casey_ ,” Dennis whispered, eyes dark. Casey knew what he wanted to do, could see it in his eyes, but knew that he wouldn’t. He didn’t want to hurt her. 

Casey’s heart was hammering in her chest, knew there was blush covering her entire body. Her arms were at her sides now, staring up at Dennis’s amazingly blue eyes. He was growing again in his pants, Casey could feel him against her hip. She raised a hand up, pulling the back of his head down to meet hers, lips finding his in a heated kiss. 

She raised one leg up, wrapping it around Dennis’s waist. She felt his hands grab her, allowing her to jump slightly and wrap both legs around him. She felt his cock, hot and heavy, pressing against the zipper of his pants. Aching to be let loose. She moved her hips against him, moaning into his mouth. 

“Take me to bed,” she whispered into his mouth, pulling back to look at him. 

Dennis seemed like he was going to say no, but something else won out, pulling her away from the wall. Casey felt them walking and she knew where they were headed. She held tightly to him. 

Dennis carefully lay her down on the bed, but Casey didn’t want gentle. Not right now. “Don’t be gentle,” she whispered, voice full of want. “Don’t be careful, Dennis. _Please_.”

Dennis looked conflicted, like all he wanted was to pound her down into the mattress, but didn’t want to hurt all. Always afraid of hurting her. “Casey, I can’t- I don’t- I don’t want to hur-” There it was.

“Dennis,” she cut him off, spreading her legs to him. “Hurt me. Please. I want you to. I want you to lose control. Please.”

He was standing over her, teeth worrying his lip. “Casey,” he said again, but Casey knew his resolve was blurring. 

Casey sat up, moving to the end of the bed and wrapping her legs around him once more. She reached up with both hands, beginning to unbutton his shirt, pulling it from the waistband of his pants. He stood stock still, the same way he’d been when she first placed a hand on him. Frozen in time almost. 

When she got to the top button, she reached up to help him shrug it off his shoulders, the only movement he made. She leaned forward, pressing her lips to his stomach, kissing softly. Her hands were working at the buttons on his pants, unzipping his zipper. She pushed the pants down his legs, allowing him to step out of them. She was unconsciously happy that he had decided not to put on his shoes or socks. 

Casey wasn’t surprised to find his boxers there, tented. She bit her lip, looking up at him through her eyelashes as she pushed them down his legs, allowing them to join the pants on the floor. 

She watched his chest move with each deep breath he took, trying to force himself to stay calm, to keep from losing control. His cock was directly in front of her and she reached out with one hand, slowly working her way from base to tip. She was surprised to find that he grew even harder as she did so. 

And his resolve broke with a shallow groan. 

It seemed like a split second, time blurred, and suddenly she was on her back again. He’d moved her and her head was on a pillow. Dennis was on top of her, hands on either side of her body. Her breath stuttered for a second. Lost in a dark look in his eyes. A look she didn’t think she’d ever truly seen. 

“Is this what you want?” he questioned, one hand moving down and pulling her panties to the side, a single finger dipping inside her. She knew she was wet, practically soaking through the fabric. Her back arched out of its own fruition. “This?” another finger was added, stroking her insides mercilessly. His fingers were moving quickly, thumb stroking her clit. She could barely keep the noises inside. 

She felt like every nerve she had in her was on fire. Burning with lust and want. Want to be touched more. She bit her lip to keep a moan that was sure to be embarrassing inside. Dennis leaned down and kissed her, rough and hard. His tongue pressed into her mouth, swallowing every sound she made. “You want this so bad,” he stopped moving his fingers, an upset noise leaving her lips. “Then you make noise. You don’t get to just lie there. You aren’t going to hold any noise back,” his fingers plunged back inside her, a moan that was almost closer to a scream was ripped from her. 

Dennis looked wicked above her, those dark eyes storming. When he took his fingers out of her again, she whined indignantly. He reached up, hand traveling over her outfit, trying to find how to undo it. Casey raised a hand to help, but Dennis pushed it back down, ripping the lingerie from her body. Casey frowned. “I liked that outfit,” she murmured. Dennis chuckled, leaning down and biting her collarbone, any other whine lost. 

She watched him toss the now ruined fabric to the side, ripping her panties off as well, taking a small bit of the thigh highs with them, but leaving the rest of them on. 

His hands were on her hips again, she could feel him pressed against her, one move and he’d be inside her. “ _Dennis_ ,” she whispered, arching her back into his chest. “Please.”

It seemed like that was all he needed, lining up and plunging into her in one movement. Casey gasped, eyes rolling back for a split second. 

And then he started moving. Dennis, who never was anything other than gentle, making sure along the entire way that Casey was okay, began moving at a pace that was unwavering. One of his hands pressed her shoulder into the bed, thumb on her throat as if reminding her what he could do. 

Casey was losing her entire train of thought, unable to think of anything aside from the feeling of Dennis mercilessly fucking her into the bed as she had wished. “Dennis,” she whispered again, arms moving up to wrap around his shoulders, nails biting and clawing the skin there, sure to leave red, raised line in their wake. 

Casey didn’t know how much time had passed when Dennis finally came. She knew she’d been flipped over onto her stomach, his hand a solid force between her shoulder blades as he kept up his unforgiving pace. He’d flipped her over again before he spilled, staring into her eyes as he did so. The force behind those eyes had changed to love again and he was gentle as she finished around him, throat sore from what she had assumed had been screams. 

She was breathing heavily, sweat pooled on her forehead, her chest. “ _Casey_ ,” Dennis murmured, pulling out and falling to his side next to her. Casey immediately curled next to him, welcoming the arms that wrapped around her. He reached out, moving a sweat-soaked piece of hair from her face, capturing her in a gentle kiss, hand cupping her cheek. “ _I love you_ ,” he whispered against her lips.

Casey pressed their foreheads together, closing her eyes and breathing him in. 

From the outside they simply looked like to people, perhaps someone would see the love there. But, truly, they were one. One person long ago split into two. Constantly meant to find each other in the end. 

“ _I love you too_ ,” Casey whispered, burrowing her face in his neck and allowing herself to fall asleep again, the exhaustion coming back and flooding over her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed that chapter.   
> Peace, love, and rainbows <3
> 
> Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/underaspark  
> Email: underling.1313@gmail.com

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/underaspark  
> Email: underling.1313@gmail.com
> 
> Peace, love, and rainbows. <3


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